Kerri Powers – Love is Why
Wildflower Child Records
11 songs, 43 minutes
Roots Music, Americana, Alt-Country – they are all terms used to describe the, at times, disparate styles of popular music that have sprung out of the Blues and other traditional music. Although not Blues in the more literal sense that some of us hard core fans would consider, Roots Music is a form of Blues in itself. New England’s Kerri Powers’ new record Love is Why makes a case for this broader Roots understanding of the Blues. With 10 originals and an emotive Gregg Allman cover, Powers sings of loss and heartache over a roiling musical backdrop that is affecting and deep.
Love is Why is anchored by one of New England’s strongest rhythm sections: album producer and drummer Marco Giovino, Duke Robillard veteran bassist Marty Ballou and Grammy and BMA winning keyboardist Bro Paul Brown. Giovino, Ballou and Brown lay down a sympathetic pocket for Powers’ acoustic guitar and unique vocals to flit, fly and grind over. There is a strong rotation of electric guitarists who support the proceedings: Bo Ramsey (Lucinda Williams, Gregg Brown), Luther Dickinson (you should just know who he is!), Kelvin Holly (Little Richard, The Amazing Rhythm Aces), Doug Lancio (John Hiatt, Nanci Griffith, Patty Griffin), and, John Putnam (Rufus Thomas, Southside Johnny, Madonna). Pedal steel by Asa Brosius and accordion by Charlie Giordano stud a song each while background vocals from the sublime McCrary Sisters and a duet with singer/songwriter Paul Thorn create a fully realized song cycle.
Kerri Powers is the central focus of Love is Why. Powers sings with a clarion alto that is shaded with gritty tarnish. A truly unique sound, Powers’ voice does not draw easy comparisons to the past. Her instrument is all her own just like unique singers Lucinda Williams, or Emmylou Harris, or Etta James, or Tina Turner. But Powers doesn’t sound like any of them, she has her own delivery and tone which really sets her apart.
Powers’ exceptional vocals are matched with outstanding songwriting. Her grief over losing her father, her defiant push back against the desolation and heartache of the pandemic and a lifetime of creativity infuse her original songs with mournful, redemptive catharsis. Medium tempo testimonies like the hopping title track, the sweetly sentimental slow burn of “Someone Else’s Prayer,” and more overtly Bluesy “Morning Glory, Midnight Blue” tell stories that are universal, clear but never hackneyed. Even on more rollicking tunes like “Rusted Bell,” the 6/8 Dylan-esq “When it Rains” and the chugging “Rummage Through My Love” bring a deep plain spoken poetry to the love and loss of daily life.
Kerri Powers has been making records since 2014, a little later in life after raising a family. It is clear that her music comes from deeply personal emotion and connection. Powers sings with an easy nonchalance that comes from real talent and hard work. Powers’ songs are crafted to perfection with reverence to the past but enough unique flavor to make them their own thing. Partnering with exceptionally talented support, Powers has created in Love is Why a real statement of purpose.
